Several folks have asked me to help them get or make some of the scissor charms my adorable sister made back in March. My Sis says she's got too many other projects going and I'm afraid my craftsmanship isn't worth the postage to ship them. Still, I'll take a stab at it showing you how, but only because I like you.
These charms are really easy once you've mastered wire wrapping. (Sounds like a CIA or hip-hop skill doesn't it?) Most bead stores offer classes, and that truly would be the best way to learn so you can learn the art to twisting the wire for beautiful jewelry. I started to put together a wire-wrap tutorial for you, but it requires some really close-up photos. Every time I'd get close enough for you to see the details, I'd get either fuzzy shots or these really pudgy hands - yuch. So, I did my usually thorough web browsing research and found a tutorial that best matches the way I learned wire wrapping at Austin's Nomadic Notions. Click here for The Bead Shop's wire wrapped loops tutorial.
Once you've got your loop-making skills honed, gather your supplies.
- Round nose pliers. Stampin' Up's tool kit includes bottle nose pliers which will work in a pinch.
- Needle nose pliers.
- Wire cutters. Our craft scissors will work for cutting wire, but a flush, jeweler's wire cutter will give you a closer cut for your final trim.
- 24 to 26-gauge wire. Stampin' Up! Metallic Metal Works 26 gauge silver wire works beautifully. Just remember, when you're measuring wire, the smaller the number, the thicker the wire. (It's like Nurse's syringe needles, you'd much rather have a shot with a 26 gauge needle than an 18 gauge needle.)
- Decorative beads.
- A shrinky-dink charm. I made my two charms with the Love It and Measure of a Life stamp sets. (Let me know if you want some advice on making Shrinky-dink embellishments, it's a lot of fun.)
- Either a really big clasp or one that opens out. If it opens inward you may not be able to get it onto your scissors.
Make your first loop to include the clasp, wrap the wire below the loop and trim off the excess (being careful to point down as you trim so your wire doesn't going flying into parts unknown).
String your decorative beads below the clasp and make your second loop to include the charm.
String on the charm and finish wrapping the wire above this loop. Clip the extra end of the wire, and your bling is ready to swing. Just be sure to point the wire down as you trim because the clipped wire has the bad habit of flying up and over, potentially causing bodily harm.
This is a really over-simplified list of instructions, but the nice thing about jewelry charms is, while they make great little gifts, they are really just for fun. Enjoy your swinging bling!
